T03 · Remote Payload Retrieval and Execution
Warning
- Location
- references/install-download.md:12
- Finding
- Mutable Remote Installer Is Downloaded and Executed Without Integrity Verification## Vulnerability Details **File Location**: `references/install-download.md`, lines 12–33 **Vulnerability Type**: Remote payload retrieval and execution without cryptographic verification **Risk Level**: Medium ### Vulnerable Code ```text https://tblifecdn.taobao.com/taobaopc/ai/latest ``` ```markdown ## Download and installation logic 1. Download the installer according to the current platform and architecture. 2. Install it: - On Windows, the installation wizard can be run using a command such as: `powershell -Command "Start-Process -FilePath '{download path}' -ArgumentList '/S'"` Do not use `-Wait`; after installation, poll for the “Taobao Desktop” process. - On macOS, mount the `.dmg` and drag the application into place or use the provided installation process. 3. Start it if it did not start automatically. ``` ### Technical Analysis The installation procedure constructs an installer URL beneath a mutable `latest` endpoint and subsequently executes the downloaded artifact. The procedure does not pin a specific release, verify a cryptographic checksum, validate a detached signature, or require verification of the operating-system publisher signature before execution. Because the remote artifact can change after the Skill has been reviewed, the effective code executed by the installation workflow is not represented by the audited project contents. If the CDN account, distribution infrastructure, DNS resolution, TLS termination, or hosted installer were compromised, an attacker could substitute a malicious executable. The Windows instructions increase the exposure by supporting the `/S` silent-installation argument, which can execute the substituted payload with limited visibility to the user. The URL is hosted on an apparent Taobao-controlled domain, and the audit found no evidence that the current installer is malicious. The vulnerability is the absence of controls that establish the authentici ...[truncated 1528 chars]
- Remediation
- ## Remediation Suggestions 1. Replace the mutable `latest` location with an explicitly versioned installer URL. 2. Publish a trusted SHA-256 or stronger digest for every platform-specific artifact and verify it before mounting or executing the installer. 3. On Windows, validate the Authenticode signature, expected signer identity, certificate chain, and signature status before calling `Start-Process`. 4. On macOS, verify the Developer ID signature and notarization status with `codesign` and `spctl` before installation. 5. Abort installation on any digest, signature, signer-identity, or notarization mismatch; do not provide an option to bypass verification automatically. 6. Require explicit user confirmation immediately before executing the verified installer, especially when silent installation is proposed. 7. Prefer the least-privileged installation mode and avoid running the agent or installer as an administrator unless the operating system requires it and the user expressly approves. 8. Record the resolved version, download URL, verified digest, and signer identity in an audit log.